This invention relates to sheathing of needles such as those used for blood work and injections, and relates particularly to a device for preventing resheathing of a needle after the hub of the needle has been inserted in a needle retention socket and the sheath then disengaged from the hub.
For cleanliness purposes and in order to avoid any possibility of contamination, needles for use with humans are designed for a single use and then disposal. A typical needle is sheathed before use with the sheath being discarded after being removed from the needle. Normally, the sheath is formed such that it is retained on the hub of the needle, that portion of the needle that may be installed within a needle retention socket of a needle receiving implement, such as a blood needle holder or a syringe.
Often, a nurse or doctor will resheath a needle after its use, and if great care is not exercised, the resheathed needle can inadvertently become intermixed with unused needles and possibly be reused. Were the sheath incapable of being replaced on the needle, such confusion would be far less likely.